Drilling mechanism



Sept. Z8, 1937.

M. c. Hur-#PMAM 2,094,124

DRILLING uEcH'ANIsl Filed Aug. 25, i933 2 shuts-sheet 1 M. c. HUFFMAN DRILLING KECHANISM Filed Aug. 25, 1933 Sept. 28,1937.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y #wl-744mm Patented Sept. 238, 1937 k[TED STATES DRILLING MECHANISM Mervin Chester Huffman, Claremont, N. H., assignor to Sullivan Machinery: Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 25,1933, serial No. 686,748-

7 Claims.

My invention relatesA to drilling mechanisms, and more particularly to feeding mechanisms for tower mounted or other drills having a relatively long feeding travel.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved drilling mechanism. Another object of myinvention is to provide an improved feeding mechanism for a drilling motor. A further object of my invention is to provide an improved feeding mechanism for a drilling motor, providing for a relatively long feeding travel of the drill, and maintaining a minimum over-all height of the drilling apparatus. Still anotherobject of my invention is to provide an improved moving device of particular utility for feeding rock drills, but adapted to provide a Very eicient rectilinear feeding movement with a minimum of air or other'feeding fluid, for any device requiring reciprocation over substantial distances.V

Other objects and advantages of' my invention will hereinafter more. fullyv appear.

In the accompanying drawings, in which, for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice has-been shown.-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drilling apparatus constructed in accordance with one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the feeding mechanism proper of Fig. 1. v Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through a controlling valve mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a detail of construction.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that upon a structural steel tower I comprising a plurality of upright frame members 2, there are arranged a top member 3 and an intermediate, structural steel platform structure The platform structure l includes a transverse plate member 5 suitably "eld to the' angle irons 6 of frame I. The top member 3 is also in the form of a plate Il). The plates 5 and I Il are traversed by holes II and l2 in whichl a cylindrical, preferably hollow guide member I3 in the form of a cylindrical tube is secured, as by welding or by a pressed t, or in any other suitable manner.

Parallel to the guide member I3 and also secured within circular openings, in this case numbered I5 and I5, is a vertical feed cylinder II having itsopposite ends closed by head members I3 and I3. Within the bore 20 of the feed cylinder Il a piston structure, generally designated 2|, is reciprocable. To the piston structure 2| there are connected two of the ends of a pair of exible cable members 23, 24, whose construction will be more fully described; and these cable members pass respectively over upper and lower sheaves, respectively numbered and 26, and respectively supported on suitable bearing brackets 21 and 28 by means of shafts respectively numbered 29 and 30. The sheaves are arranged with their pitch circles tangent to the line of the axis of the feed cylinder. The guide cylinder I3 and the feed cylinder Il provide guiding surfaces for a crosshead structure 32, which is herein in the form of a pair of members 33 and 34, each having a curved surface 35 arranged to cooperate with the guide cylinder I3, and another curved surface 36 arranged to cooperate with the feed cylinder Il. The two members are held together by one or more bolts 38 and nuts 39, being properly spaced by shims 40. and adjustable towards 2 and from each other by the removal or addition of shims as desired. Between the outwardly projecting arm portions 4I of the members 33 and 34 is mounted a, drilling motor d3, suitably secured by screws 44 to the arms 4I and'connected, 2

"branch, 5I, is connected to a four-way valve cas- -ing 52, in which a four-way` valve 53 is rotatably mounted for control by a handle 54. Passages 55 and 56 lead respectively from the top and bottom of the valve casing 52 to the top and bottom end of Athe feed cylinder II. and an ex- -haust connection 51 opens out of the side of the valve casing 52 opposite the communication ofthe valve casing with the supply branch 5I.

The cables 23 and 24 are made of wire rope of suitable strength and flexibility, surrounded by 5 and embedded in a smooth molded rubber cover of circular cross section. A portion of the cable is shown in Fig. 5, the wire rope being indicated at and the molded rubber covering at 6I.

Fig. 5 is a detail at'one end of one of the pieces of' '50 cable, and it will be noted that the rubber covering has been carefully removed from a portion of A the wire rope 60 and that a metallic sleeve member 62 has been secured to the end of the wire rope. vA sound permanent connection can be se- 55A cured by slipping a tubular member over the end of the wire cable and then hammering or swaging the tubular member between suitably shaped dies to cause an embedding of the wires of the cable in the metal of the end connection 62. After this reducing hammering process has been completed, the exterior of the end connection is threaded, as shown at 63.

Referring now to the connection 45 between the outer ends of the cables 23 and 24 and the drilling motor, it will be observed that a block 85 is suitably secured to the drilling motor, and that this block has a longitudinally extending bore 86 in which a sleeve 61, oppositely internally threaded at its opposite ends, as at 68 and 89, is mounted. At one end, the sleeve 81 has a polygQ nal portion 10 to enable easy turning. The ends of the cables 23 and 24 which cooperate with the internally threaded sleeve member 61 are also oppositely threaded as to their terminal sleeves 82, and each has a lock nut 1I thereon. It is evident that by backing off the lock nuts 1I to the desired distances and rotating the .sleeve member 81 by means of the polygonal portion 10, the cables 23 and 24 may be tightened. After the desired tension is obtained, the lock nut 1I may be screwed down and the parts all locked solidly both together and with reference to the board projection 65.

The piston structure 2| comprises a central portion 13 having a bore 14 oppositely internally threaded at its opposite ends. It further comprises a pair of bored end members 15, each fltting over one of a pair of cylindrical hollow bosses 18 on the member 18 and each clamping a cupped packing 11 between it and the side of the member 13 which is adjacent to it. Lock nuts 18 cooperate with the threaded portion 13. When assembling the feeding mechanism, the parts of the feed piston can be assembled by rotating the member 18 relative to the threaded ends 82 of the cables 23 and 24, to the desired extent, and the lock nuts 18 may then be screwed down to clamp the several parts of the piston tightly together.

Within each of the cylinder heads I8 and I9 there is provided suitable packing means. Obviously, such packing means can assume various forms. In the upper end of the cylinder, within the upper head I8, an ordinary rubber, leather or composition washer 88 is secured, between a shoulder 8 I .and a suitably bored follower or gland member 82. At the lower end of the cylinder, an inner head member 85 having a hole86 through the center thereof, is arranged against a shoulder 81. One end of a suitable flexible packing member 88 is clamped between the plate 85 and the head member I8. 'Ihe other end of the packing member 88 is clamped between a shoulder 89 on the head member and a suitable glandmember 88. A contractile spring 8| is arranged within the bore 82 of the head member I8 for the purpose of maintaining the packing 88 in sealing relation with the cable. v

VThe mode of operation of the foregoing mechanism will bereadily understood. Upon movement of the Afour-way valve 53-to the position shown in Fig. 4,l pressure will flow from the line 48 through branch 5I and through the four-way valve4 member 58 to the connection 56, and thus to the lower end of the feed cylinder, thereby raising the feed cylinder and lowering the drilling motor. Reversal of the valve 58 will effect opposite movement of the feed piston and raising of the drilling motor. The inactive end of the feed cylinder is vented to exhaust through the connection l1.

By suitable adjustment of the valve any desired control can be effected. Owing to the smooth molded rubber covering upon the cable, fluid tightness is secured at the opposite ends of the feed cylinder. Owing to the employment of a rubber covered wire rope, the necessary flexibility to permit easy passage around the sheaves 25 and 25 is obtained. The use of ordinary wire rope is impossible, by reason of the large loss of air even with the most carefully designed packings. The use of flat bands is unsatisfactory because of packing difdculties. By the use of the flexible. strong wire rope with a smooth cylindrical covering, the combined advantages of iiuid tightness such as may be obtained with an ordinary piston rod, and compactness which is impossible with straight piston rods of a length equal to the travel of the feed piston, will be secured. It will therefore be evident that an extremely compact, very efficient feeding mechanismv is provided, which is subject to neither of the disadvantages attendant on the prior vmethods attempted in the effort to solve the problem of a compact and eillcient feed mechanism of the character of that disclosed.

While I have in this application specifically described one form which nu.' invention may assume in practice. it will be understood that this form is shown for purposes of ill' '1stration, and that the invention may be modified a'nd embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In combination, a guide cylinder, a parallel feed cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said feed cylinder, a guide sheave arranged with its pitch circle tangent to the line of the axis of the feed cylinder and at one end of the feed cylinder, a feed cable connected to said feed piston and extending over said sheave, a crosshead having a portion slidably engaging said cylinders for guidance by the latter, a drilling motor supported by said crosshead at the side of said feed cylinder which is the more remote from said guide cylinder, operative connections between said feed cable and said drilling motor, and means for supplying actuating fluid to said feed cylinder for reciprocating said piston to effect forward and cylinder and at opposite ends of the feed cyl-` inder respectively, feed cables connected to said piston and extending over said sheaves, a crosshead having a portion slidably engaging said cylinders for guidance by the latter, a drilling motor supported by said crosshead at the side of said feed cylinder which is the more remote from said guide cylinder, operative connections between said feed cables and said drilling motor, and means for supplying actuating uid to said feed cylinder for reciprocating said piston to effect 05 forward and reverse feed of said drilling motor along said parallel cylinders.

3. In a drilling apparatus, a guide cylinder. a parallel feedcylinder having a feed piston reciprocable therein, a crosshead slidably engaging 70 said cylinders and having a portion extending between said cylinders, a drilling motor supported by said crosshead with its axis in the same plane with the axes of said cylinders but disposed outside the space between the axes of said cylinders. 76

acca-,rae

'1 ing said cylinders and having a portion extending between said cylinders, a drilling motor supported by said crosshead with its axis in the same plane with the axes of said cylinders but at the opposite side of the feed'cylinder from said guide cylinder, operative connections between the feed piston and said drilling motor, and means for supplying actuating fluid to said feed cylinder for reciprocating aaid feed piston to eiect forward and reverse feed of said drilling motor along said cylinders.l

5. In combination, a guide cylinder, a parallel feed cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said feed cylinder, a guide sheave arranged with its pitch circle tangent to the line of the axis of the feed cylinder and at one end of the feed cylinder, a feed cable connected to said feed piston and extending over said sheave,.a crosshead having a portion slldably engaging said cylinders for guidance by thelatter, a drilling motor supported by said'crosshead at the side of said feed cylinder which is the more remote from said guide cylinder, the longitudinal axes of said feed and guide cylinders and drilling motor lying in a common plane, operative connections between saidvfeed cable and said drilling motor, and means for supplying actuating fluid-to said feed cylinder for reciprocating said piston* to eect forward and reverse feed of said drilling motor along said parallel cylinders.

6. In combination, a guide cylinder, a paralle feed cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said feed cylinder, guide sheaves arranged with their pitch circles tangent to the line of the axis of the feed cylinder and at opposite ends of the feed cylinder respectively, feed cables connected to said piston and extending over said sheaves, a crosshead having a portion slidably engaging said cylinders for guidance by the latter, a drilling motor supported 'by said crossliead at the side of said feed cylinder which is the more remote from said guide cylin der, the longitudinal axes of said cylinders and the drilling motor lying in a common plane, operative connections between said feed cables and said drilling motor, and means for supplying actuating uid to said feed cylinder for reciprocating said piston to eiect forwardand reverse feed of said drilling motor along said parallel cylinders.

7. In a. rock drill, a frame having end supports, parallel guide and feed cylinders mounted at their ends on said end supports, a feed piston reciprocable in said feed cylinder, a sliding crosshead guided by said parallel cylinders, a drilling motor mounted on said crosshead, the longitudinal axes of said feed and guide cylinders and drilling motor lying in a common plane, connections between the opposite ends of said feed piston and said crosshead, and means for supplying actuating fluid to said feed cylinder for reciprocating said feed piston to effect forward and reverse feed of said crosshead and drilling motor along said parallel cylinders.

` MERVIN CHESTER HUFFMAN. 

